Enlightenment
by Fritz Baugh
Summary: Ray Stantz is contacted by an old friend in deep trouble. She needs the Ghostbusters. But a lot of things have changed in the three years since she last saw them...
1. Chapter 1

**Ghostbusters: Enlightenment**

**Part One**

_By Fritz Baugh_

* * *

**Prolog**

**March 1973**

**Truro, Nova Scotia**

* * *

"So have you ever met Cousin Tegan before, Cheryl?" Elizabeth Lucille "Lizzy" Hawthorne, Age 12, asked her older sister.

"Once..." Cheryl answered, eating a cookie. "I think, come to think of it, it was right after my twelfth birthday. Same as you."

"What was she like?" Lizzy asked.

Cheryl shrugged. "Nice I guess. Kind of weird, though. One of the first things she did was pull out some weird crystal and tap me on the forehead with it. I don't think she liked me very much I guess."

"Crystal?" Lizzy mused. "Maybe she's one of those 'Hippies' I hear about on the news. Some of them are into crystals as a means of catching and channeling spiritual power."

Cheryl snorted. "You know so much about it maybe she'll get along with you just fine. You turning into some sort of crystal power hippie, Lizzy?"

"I am not!" Lizzy protested. "I just try to keep an open mind!"

"That's a good sign." a new voice broke into the conversation. Lizzy and Cheryl's mother entered the room; with her was speaker of the interruption, a smartly dressed woman with brown hair who, Lizzy noticed, looked a lot like Mom. Lizzy was also intrigued by the pin in her lapel, a circle bearing a mark that looked like some kind of angular, backwards capital "P". "Open mindedness is a commendable trait."

Mom coughed nervously. "You remember Cheryl from before. Tegan, this is Elizabeth. Lizzy, my cousin, Tegan Fielding."

Lizzy shook Tegan's hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Tegan."

"And you, Elizabeth."

"Everybody calls me 'Lizzy'"

"Cheryl..." Mom said, placing a hand on her older daughter's shoulder. "Let's wait in the other room. Tegan needs to talk to Lizzy alone, just like she did you."

Cheryl shrugged. "Whatever." The two left, but not before Lizzy spared her mother one nervous glance.

"Nervous, Elizabeth?" Tegan asked.

Lizzy blinked. "Actually...yes. Maybe I shouldn't be, but even though Mom knows you, and Cheryl's met you before, I don't know you."

Tegan's eyes narrowed. "Understandable. Tell me...is it because I somehow seem strange to you?"

Lizzy looked confused. "I'm not sure what you mean."

Tegan stroked her chin, and then muttered something under her breath, making a strange little gesture with her other hand.

"What's that?" Lizzy asked.

"Just clearing the air around me, in a way." Tegan said enigmatically.

"You do well in school?" Tegan asked.

"You probably know the answer to that already." Lizzy countered. "My Mother could have told you that."

"She could have." Tegan nodded. "But I prefer to ask you directly. It's you I'm interested in, after all."

"Why?" Lizzy asked. "Why are you so interested?"

Tegan smirked. "We are family, after all. Sadly, due to my...profession, I haven't been around very much. Think of it as a bit of making up for lost time."

Lizzy was still suspicious, but decided not to prod any further. For the moment. "Well, I'm in the top 10% of the class. Do okay in science and math, but my best subject is history." Lizzy failed to suppress a slight smile of pride. "Won a debate with the teacher last week."

Tegan chuckled. "A historian and debater...oh, could this be any more perfect?"

"What does that mean?"

"You sound a lot like I was at your age." Tegan stroked her chin again. "You don't seem to have a disruptive aura...but the Gentle Gift does run in our bloodline." Tegan reached into her pocket. "Only one way to confirm or rule it out..."

Lizzy's eyes went wide. "That's the crystal Cheryl told me about, isn't it?"

Tegan smiled slightly, holding up the six-inch long prism of transparent glass. "Yes."

"What does it do?"

"You might think of it as a kind of tuning fork." Tegan answered. "If touched a certain way against someone having a certain kind of harmonic, it resonates. We use it to detect people with that harmonic."

" 'We'?" Lizzy asked.

"You noticed that word." Tegan grinned. "Good. But I'm getting ahead of myself." Tegan held the crystal, and gently tapped Lizzy's forehead with one end, just as Cheryl had described.

For a second, Lizzy thought nothing had happened. But then she noticed a sound...like a ringing in her ears. And then the crystal began to glow in a soft white light.

"Oh, very very good..." Tegan smiled. "Very good indeed."

"What..." Lizzy found the words trying to stick in her throat. "What does that mean?"

Tegan put the crystal back into her pocket, and reached into her satchel. "It means, Elizabeth, that you possess a great potential. One I've been hoping to find. Your sister has many fine qualities, and great potential in her own way, but this particular...Gift...is one she does not share with us." Lizzy wasn't sure what all of this meant.

Tegan gestured and muttered again, and this time Lizzy noticed something. Like the world around her...muffled just a little. The sound of the Edward Bear song Cheryl had turned on in the next room acquired an odd tinny echo. But on the other hand, when Lizzy looked back at her mother's cousin, she felt different. Like somehow warmer, friendlier...or at the very least somehow she wasn't making Lizzy nervous anymore.

Tegan extracted some papers from her satchel. "I want you to look at something, Elizabeth. I'm hoping you will consider this-it's a place I know that will help you discover that potential. Help you become the person I think you are meant to become."

_Rein•Hagen Academy_

_"Experience the Magic of Learning"_

* * *

**Dragonsfall Regio**

**The Eighteenth Day of Gemini, Fourth Year of the Age of Aquarius**

* * *

Lady Enlightenment, Filia of Lady Persuasion, Follower of Guernicus, Maga and Quaesitor of the Order of Hermes (Vulgar Name: Elizabeth Lucille "Liz" Hawthorne), Age 33, awoke with a start.

For only a second, she rued the passing of the dream she was having-a pleasant one involving, as many had over the past three years, a certain man of her acquaintance, one with the most soulful eyes she'd ever seen-but cast the thought out of her head quickly.

There was a frightful shout of bloodlust and rage, followed by a crashing noise.

_Dear God..._ she scrambled out of her bed, gesturing. A robe jumped off of the dresser and into her clutch, where she quickly wrapped it around her nude body. _Is it even __possible__ that something is attacking __here?!_

It seemed absurd.

She grabbed one more item, a staff that would help focus her mystic energies.

_The Archmage...if something is here, they must be after the Archmage..._

She ran out of her room, down the staircase to the grounds of the Covenant.

Intellectually, she knew she wasn't really on the Great Arber, the highest mountain in the Bavarian Forest in Germany. The spot she was standing on would be dominated by a German radar station if it was. But it helped to think of it as such-because the regio was patterned off of that location as it was centuries before Liz was born.

She concentrated, trying to cast an Intellego spell that would help her discover what was happening. Intellego was one of her better techniques; her senses stretched out...

She gasped.

Surrounding the covenant, some distance outside it-just outside the bounds, she knew, of its Aegis-but surrounding it totally, was an army. Some of them were in armor, some in rags, but all were quite clearly dead, most nothing more than skeletons.

Her contemplation broken by heavy footsteps behind her. She turned to face a creature that had a lizardlike head, leading to a long spiny neck, attached to two spindly arms and a muscular body with four legs; the creature looked like nothing so much to her as a weird cross between a dinosaur and a centaur.

But undercutting the horror of the site was the combination of the creature's bright purple skin, day-glow yellow boots on each of its four feet, and the garment serving as a headband that looked like nothing else as much as a black strapless DD-cup bra. The creature made a confused oooh-ing noise.

"Dulk?" Liz asked the creature. "What's going on? Has the Archmage awakened?"

"Dulk not know." it replied. "Dulk not like this. Bone men scare cows."

"Knowing Styx, he's probably running to the Aegis to taunt them or something..." Liz shook her head. "We really should try to check on the Archmage. Where's..."

She turned to the sound of a crash, and very heavy footsteps. A skeleton in black plate armor, carrying a large ax designed to resemble a dragon strode toward Liz and Dulk, with two thinner, less armored skeletons (one wielding a sword, the other a quarterstaff) just behind it. "[Well...]" a sepulcher voice said in Vulgar (very Vulgar) Latin. "[Now we're getting somewhere...]"

Dulk's pupilless eyes blinked. "Dulk think he know you...Dulk..." Dulk screamed and ran. "Stalker! Dulk not like you! Run Lady E! Very very bad!"

"[Eight hundred years and still stupid as mud I see.]" the "Stalker" skeleton chuckled. "[I'd think little Wizzo would have gotten better help by now]"

"[Do not move any further]" Liz warned the three, brandishing the staff.

Stalker made a dismissive snort. "[And now Wizzo has his chambermaids defending his hovel? Pathetic. Destroy her.]" He gestured to the two shambling skeletons.

Liz pointed with the end of the staff. "Perdo Corpus!"

The two shamblers exploded into clouds of dust, leaving nothing but their weapons and scraps of clothing. Stalker flinched, a groan of surprise and pain escaping from his skinless mouth.

_Shit!_ Liz thought to herself. _How high a Might score does this bastard have?! That barely penetrated!_ She stepped back, adopting a defensive stance the Archmage had taught her. _What in the hell is this thing?_

"[A maga...]" the skeleton growled, the dismissive tone vanishing from its voice. "[Perhaps I slightly underestimated the boy...]" He advanced on Liz, swinging the ax.

She managed to defend from the first few strikes, but with an angry growl he attacked the staff itself, splintering it, then delivered a kick that sent her staggering back into a wall.

She tried to shake off the daze...her Parma had kept her from getting the worst of the attack..._Spont something...quick...but what..._

He grabbed the neck of the robe she was wearing, and hoisted her a foot off the ground. "[Though I see some things haven't changed-little Wizzo did have a way of surrounding himself with some fine strumpets. The stuck up Frank. The lesbian werewolf. The blonde harlot with the high forehead.]" The skeleton paused. "[And especially sweet little Arlana.]"

The tone in Stalker's voice at the last reference gave Liz the creeps.

"[Sadly, I no longer have the urges of a living man, so the lush charms of your body are of no use to me. I will give my regards to your master soon enough.]"

The skeleton reared back to deliver the death blow. Liz's mind raced. This certainly wasn't how she saw her life ending...

There was a feral screech, and something slammed into the armored skeleton, staggering it. His left arm jerked back as he staggered; his grip proved stronger than the cloth of Liz's robe, but it lost the battle to hold her and she ripped free of it, dropping to the ground.

"[Fell beast!]" Stalker shouted, as a black cat howled and hissed as it continued to attack the monster's exposed skull.

Liz crouched. She knew this opportunity wouldn't last long. She reached within herself, fanning the flames of her inner power. Her hands twirled dramatically, adopting the gestures of Form and Technique devised by Bonisagus himself over twelve hundred years before. In the loudest, most booming voice she could muster, she spoke the incantation. "LEAVE THIS PLACE, FOUL ONE! REGO CORPUS!"

A battering ram of mystic force slammed into Stalker; as the black cat jumped away, the skeleton was sent hurling far from the Covenant, screaming obscenities as it flew, crashing into the nearby forest some two hundred yards away.

Perdo ("Destruction") wasn't her best Technique, but Rego ("Control") was

Liz gasped for air from the exertion. She looked at the cat. "Tarantula" she said. "Is the Archmage aware of what's happening?"

The cat shook her head.

"We should get to him, and..."

Tarantula shook her head again, and walked over to something on the ground, which she had brought with her but had to drop to save Liz from Stalker. The cat pointed at it with her front left paw.

Liz picked it up. "A return stone?"

The cat nodded.

Liz exhaled, regarding the small necklace-a chain ending in a polished stone about the size and shape of a silver dollar, bearing the Archmage's device-a runic symbol resembling a backwards letter "P" (A device that Liz and all of her Hermetic ancestors shared, it having been passed down from the Archmage's only student). "You think I should leave-go get help."

The cat nodded again.

There was a crash, and an angry howl. Stalker was on his way back.

Liz hurriedly grabbed Tarantula, disoriented, for just a second, by the tickle sensation of the furry animal pressed up against a very sensitive area of her again-naked anatomy. _Where do I go then? _

_Magvillus? No...they'd spend at least two weeks debating about whether to start a committee to issue a report on whether the matter should be investigated. _

_I can't go to Father Portenza-his bosses would need just as long to debate the matter, and they would be even less likely to help. _

_No... _

_I need... _

_A group of specialists that have extensive experience dealing with demon-level threats. Someone I've worked with before. The Archmage has worked with before. And..._

She didn't want to admit how much she wanted to see them again. One in particular.

_Thing is, the return stone can only take me to a place I've been. I've never been to New York, so..._

Lord Stalker burst back into view, fire coming from his empty eye sockets.

Liz closed her eyes _Or it can take me to one person I know, wherever they are. The stronger a connection I feel the better..._

A face appeared in her mind's eye. Wide, soulful brown eyes. A friendly smile. A topping of short copper hair.

_Take me to Ray Stantz_

The world around Liz Hawthorne and Tarantula the cat dissolved into a violet mist.

* * *

**Stanford University**

**Palo Alto, California**

**June 8, 1994**

**Ghostbusters Omnibus Timeline Year Twelve**

* * *

Raymond Francis Stantz, PhD, Age 34, munched lazily on a sandwich as his perused the issue of _Celebrity _magazine he'd found near the fountain.

_Scandal! MC Wink Accuses Mother of "Ruining [His] Career_

_MC Wink, lead rapper of the multiplatinum band 2 Crew Run DOA Humpers responded to his mother, Lucretia Bottomsby. "B*tch is tryin' to ruin my career" Wink summarized._

_The scandal erupted after Lucretia was interviewed in the last issue of Celebrity, where she told about her son, describing the childhood of "Little Percy" (Percival Bottomsby III) as one of privilege-her husband, Percival Jr, is a shipping executive for East Industries. "Little Percy never wanted for anything" Lucretia said. "And he can play an accordion with such skill it can make a man cry. I wonder if he'll use that in his little band act."_

_Wink, fearing for the potential hit to sales of the 2 Crew's latest CD, I Wuz Set Up By the Man, responded with the aforementioned expletive-laden statement. He went on to say "Look, I don't know where she got this from. I told everybody back when our first disc dropped-I was raised in the hood by a crack whore, and don't even know who my father is. I had to steal and kill to survive. So stop asking about this. And I weren't never that good with the accordion either."_

_I Wuz Set Up By The Man is a Subsidy Records release._

_Oh boy... _Ray rolled his eyes. _I remember when those guys first hit big. I told Peter I'd never be able to criticize his 'love song' ever again..._

He sighed and put down the _Celebrity_.

"Hey! Doc Stantz!"

Ray looked up to see a twenty year-old Japanese woman, her long hair gathered into a ponytail.

"Hey, Mariko." Ray said brightly. Mariko Fuyuno was in his post-grad engineering course, and of course the best student in the class. She was the same age as a college sophomore, but Ray knew she'd actually earned her first degree at age 17. _Second fastest college grad I've ever known_. "What's up?"

"I just saw you sitting there by the fountain, and it's kind of a neat coincidence." she replied. "I was just listening to the radio, and they were playing a certain Ray Parker Junior song I think you're familiar with. The DJ even mentioned it was ten years ago today that the Ghostbusters started."

Ray was stunned. He'd been so busy with the end of the semester finals, and putting together his project plan for the summer, he'd just about forgotten. "Wow. You're right. June 8, 1984." His face scrunched. "No, wait a minute, I think that DJ's wrong. The movie came out in 1984-we actually opened up a year earlier. And it was June 9."

Mariko sat down next to him, and picked up the discarded _Celebrity_.

Ray sighed. "Wow. It's just amazing how these things sneak up on me sometimes." He took a pen out of his pocket and started to chew on it. "Ten years...man, it's tough feeling old at age 34."

" Scandal! MC Wink Accuses Mother...' " Mariko started to read.

"Saw that one already." Ray chuckled. "You know I actually met those guys once? Case back late 1990-a Tiamat cult was trying to put subliminal messages in the background music at one of their concerts."

"I think somebody already did that-it's the only explanation why anybody listens to that crap. Oooo, now this one is interesting." Mariko read. " 'Psychic Milton Anglund says he saw, in a vision, that former NFL star OJ Simpson will be murdered by his ex-wife, but the media will ignore the story.' "

"I think Peter had that guy on his show once." Ray mused. "He predicted the world will end on Valentine's Day 2016"

"Bummer." Mariko responded. She was quiet for a few seconds. "So you gonna call any of them later? Because you know who..."

"Yeah, yeah, hah hah." Ray nodded. "I'll probably call Peter after dinner, if he doesn't call me first. Winston's sometimes on flights, so you never know. Janine...well, I never know what I'm going to get when I call her. Sometimes she's happy to hear from me, other times she's dumping her problems on me and it's like I'm bothering her."

"You know, all this time, Doc, and I never asked about Spengler."

"I'd rather you didn't." Ray sighed, shaking his head.

Mariko's pant pocket began to ring. She took out a beeper. "Huh. Little sister wants me to call her. I guess I better not keep her waiting-I swear, she can somehow make those enormous puppy dog eyes work even over a phone line." She got up and started to walk away.

Ray sighed again. _Fifteen years ago, if a woman like her talked to me I'd probably have fallen head over heels. Of course, __she__ would have either fallen for Egon or been a notch on Peter's bedpost..._

He gathered his garbage and stood up; he'd managed to take three steps away from the fountain...

...Before the hair on the back of his neck stood up.

There was a flash of brilliant purple light for only a fraction of a second; a strong scent of ozone; and an enormous splashing noise from behind him.

He turned to the fountain; there were still swirling mists, and a out of the water, sputtering from the unexpectedly aquatic nature of her arrival, Ray was shocked to see, was a woman wearing the water she'd just landed in-and absolutely nothing else.

And in a fraction of a second, as parts of his animal brain were already responding to the signal of "NAKED WOMAN!", came the recognition that it wasn't just any woman. Standing there, gathering her wits, nude as the day she was born, was one of the most beautiful women he'd ever met in his life, like something out of any number of erotic fantasies he'd had since meeting her three years earlier.

The word stuck in his throat, like he was afraid of being wrong. Of breaking the spell. "Liz?!" he finally croaked.

Liz Hawthorne. Lady Enlightenment.

She opened her eyes wide, mutual recognition-pleased recognition-dancing within them. "Ray!"

She grabbed him, and hugged him tight.

Ray definitely felt his temperature rising, and found himself fighting a series of physical reactions.

It's just about then that she seemed to realize the full context of where she was and her own state of dress-or lack thereof. " oh my god " she muttered, face turning as bright red as Ray's own. She crossed her arms over her naked (and spectacular, Ray guiltily noted) breasts and sunk back into the fountain. "Er...a little help here, Ray?"

Ray managed to shake himself out of his reverie after a mere five seconds. He quickly took off his lab coat, and held it out, turning around to allow her to stand and quickly wrap it around herself.

"Okay." she said. Her immediate modesty now secured, she started looking around.

Ray looked at her again, his face still red, but he was starting to come back to his senses again.

She looked confused. "Where are we? This isn't New York, is it?"

He shook his head. "Palo Alto. Stanford University. It's where I've been since..."

She stumbled a little as she stepped out of the fountain. "It's so...empty...the Archmage had said there'd been aftereffects from the Zodiac incident, but..."

He helped her steady herself. "I have like a million question, but this isn't really a good place to go into it. We don't get too many naked women in the fountains here, so somebody's probably going to notice and call campus security-probably be best we get out of here before that happens. C'mon, I'll get you to..."

There was another commotion in the fountain, and a very annoyed series of hisses; a drenched black cat pulled herself indignantly from the water, sneezing as she stood on the edge of the fountain.

Ray recognized the collar the cat was wearing. "Tarantula? Master Eventides' cat?!"

Liz exhaled wearily. "I think we both have a list of questions, Ray." She looked around, muttering something. "I think that little bit of rego imaginem will help us not get noticed until we get to...where ever we're going, but I'm not sure..." She shook her head. "I can't believe how...empty of quintessence this place feels...it's like trying to cast a spell through cement..."

Ray picked up the wet cat. "Right this way."

The wizard, the former Ghostbuster, and the former familiar quickly left the area, the discarded _Celebrity_ magazine the only sign they'd ever been there.

_To Be Continued_

* * *

Ectozone Editorial Staff: Dr. Vincent Belmont, EGB Fan, TheRazorsEdge

Additional Beta: Kingpin, OgreBBQ

Additional Advice: Jay Tigran

Lady Enlightenment created by OgreBBQ and Fritz Baugh

Dulk and Mariko Fuyuno created by OgreBBQ

Lord Stalker developed by OgreBBQ

2Crew Run DOA Humpers created by Fritz Baugh

Tarantula and Phineus Eventide created by James Van Hise and Howard Bender; they first appeared in Now Comics' The Real Ghostbusters No. 12

Reference made to material from Ars Magica, created by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein•Hagen; now owned by Atlas Games save a few concepts owned by White Wolf Games.

* * *

XU GCI 4200-20140427u

Established 20140513t e-11

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	2. Chapter 2

**Ghostbusters: Enlightenment**

**Part Two **

**By Fritz Baugh**

**Previously **

* * *

Once upon a time in Romania, two teams met while investigating the same vampire lord. One team was the world-famous Ghostbusters-Dr. Ray Stantz, Dr. Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, and Dr. Peter Venkman. The other team was the far-less-famous (by design) "Inquisitors" -Liz Hawthorne (the wizard Lady Enlightenment), Father Diego Portenza, Barney Lupin (the werewolf Nightclaw), and Lilly Peacecraft.

Boy (Ray) met Girl (Liz) and some sparks started to fly.

A few weeks later, the Ghostbusters and the Inquisitors met again, along with the Prince of Warlocks Phineus Eventide, his familiar Tarantula, and the Archmage of the Winds, Zandrik Fallagar. Together, they defeated the Zodiac Lords, with the help of Eventide's noble sacrifice; he asked Fallagar to look after his cat.

More sparks also flew between Ray and Liz.

But after that victory Ray went back to New York with his fellow Ghostbusters, while Liz was sent on a new assignment by her bosses, the leadership of House Guernicus of the Order of Hermes.

Neither was far from the other's thoughts, but it's three years later. Both are about to find out how much has changed.

* * *

**Rein•Hagen Academy **  
**Cambridge, England **  
**June 8, 1979**

* * *

"Elizabeth Lucille Hawthorne" the Headmistress called.

Elizabeth Lucille "Liz" Hawthorne, age 18, walked to the center of the podium when her name was called. She shook hands with the Headmaster, Dr. David Chart; the Chairman of the Board of Regents, Marcus Hagen; and received the diploma she'd been working the last six years for.

"Well done, Miss Hawthorne". the Chairman complimented. Not many students received that personal note-almost all were in the top ten percent of the graduating class, as Liz was.

She knew she couldn't linger, but she tried her best to get a better look at the Board of Regents seated near the podium. They were a very mysterious bunch; there were seats set aside for fourteen of them in total (meaning there were theoretically fifteen including the Chairman), but based on comments from previous graduates and even a few of the teachers, they were never completely filled; even the Chairman, a snappily dressed older man with a beard, was known to not always appear. There was only one face Liz was personally familiar with: Dao Yuan, an enormous Chinese man, whose daughter Jun happened to be a classmate, and Liz's roommate for the last six years.

As she looked, one of the Regents-an intense woman who looked to be in her forties-whispered something into the ear of the smartly dressed woman of (apparent) Indian ancestry she was seated beside. _She was looking right at me..._ The Indian woman nodded.

"Davison Moffat Hedrick"

The next name was, of course, Liz's cue to leave the stage. She followed the indicated line back to her seat; Adric Blake tried to catch her eye, but Liz just simply didn't want to deal with him or his sister right now. _It's over, Adric-how clear do I have to be with that?_ She did spare a quick look at Jun, who gave her a thumbs up.

* * *

"Oh, my Baby girl..." Liz's Mom gushed, almost crushing her in a bearhug. "I'm so proud of you. Your father and Cheryl, they both wish they could be here, but don't worry-I took lots of pictures."

"I'm proud of you too, Elizabeth." Tegan Fielding added, giving Liz a hug of her own. She'd served as Liz's guardian during the last six school years.

"It's all thanks to you, Aunt Tegan." Liz replied. While Tegan wasn't technically her aunt-she was a first cousin once removed-the title just seemed to fit for both of them.

"Nonsense." Tegan smiled as she shook her head. "Your hard work got you here. But now it's time for another decision."

"Tegan...I..." Mom started to say.

"There's no reason to wait any longer, Cousin." Tegan interrupted with a new steely tone in her voice.

"Mom?"

Mom smiled, albeit warily. "It's all right, Lizzie. This is a good thing. I just...truth to tell, I envy you a little bit."

The three of them walked to a guarded doorway. Tegan produced what looked, to Liz, for all the world like some sort of magician's wand; the guard nodded, and moved aside. The door seemed to open on its own.

Inside the room was the intense Regent Liz had seen at the ceremony. "Sodalis." She nodded at Tegan.

"Prima." Tegan nodded back.

"Let me, Tegan. As much as I can." Mom said.

"Of course."

Liz's Mom sighed deeply. "When I said I envied you, it was because our family has a history. The grandmother Tegan and I share-your great grandmother-passed that inheritance on to Tegan. Now, it's passed to you."

Liz felt vaguely uncomfortable. It was a little like the feeling she'd had when she'd met Tegan six years earlier. "What inheritance?"

Tegan reached into her jacket, producing the same transparent crystal she'd tapped Liz with six years earlier. She did it again; just as that prior occasion, the crystal glowed and emitted an almost subsonic ring.

The intense woman Aunt Tegan had called "Prima" nodded.

"You have the Gift, Elizabeth." Tegan answered. "The Gift of the potential for great power. The power of magic."

Liz felt her head spin. She'd learned a lot over the last six years; the somewhat eccentric curriculum of Rein•Hagen had been sprinkled with courses on folklore and comparative mythology; Medieval history; the Latin tongue; electives on "strange" subjects such as numerology, Tarot, and (the one Liz had been drawn to) astrology.

"I didn't inherit this Gift." Mom shook her head. "Neither did your sister. That's why the crystal didn't glow when Tegan touched her with it all those years ago; it didn't when Grandma used it on me. But you...you received this honor." Mom smiled.

Liz inhaled, and fixed her most steely glare on her Aunt Tegan. "The first principle of the law is truth, Aunt Tegan. Truth is established by evidence. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. I love you, and I love my Mom, but I just can't take your word on any of this."

Tegan smiled. "That is the answer I hoped you would give." She raised her hand. "Creo ignem"

Liz was surrounded by motes of fire.

"Rego corpus"

She was lifted off the floor, and found herself suspended in thin air, the motes of fire dodging and weaving around her.

"Intellego Vim"

She realized she could see glowing, wispy tendrils of energy surrounding her, swirling and roiling around her hands and the fiery motes. When Aunt Tegan gestured, the whirls shifted and moved, like they were clay in her hands.

Tegan's voice spoke directly into her mind. _Is this, my young kinswoman, the kind of proof you require?_

With another gesture from Tegan, the ghostly tendrils vanished from Liz's sight, and she settled back onto the floor. Liz fell to her knees, overcome by disorientation. Her world had, in a very significant sense, just been destroyed and rebuilt around her; she was confused, a bit frightened...but also...

Elated. Like every secret longing she'd ever had, every hope in a more interesting world than the mundane one around her had just been validated.

And most of all...Curious

"Tegan Fielding is the name I was born with, but I have another name, Elizabeth. I am Lady Persuasion, Filia of Romana, Follower of Guernicus, Maga and Quaesitor of the Order of Hermes."

Liz didn't know what any of that meant, either. But she had to know. And there was only one way.

"Teach me, Aunt T...teach me, Lady Persuasion." Liz said, bowing. "You want me to learn magic. I want to learn magic."

"And why is that, Apprentice?"

"Because I seek that which I've always sought." She looked up at her cousin, no fear showing in her eyes.

"And what is that, Elizabeth?"

"Enlightenment."

* * *

**Palo Alto, California **  
**June 8, 1994 **  
**The Eighteenth Day of Gemini in the Fourth Year of the Age of Aquarius **  
**Ghostbusters Omnibus Timeline Year Twelve **

* * *

"Just...get here as quick as you can." Ray said into the phone receiver. "I appreciate it, Mariko. Bye."

Liz raised an eyebrow. "Who's Mariko?"

"One of my students." Ray replied. "Also one of the few who actually believes what I used to do. I figure that could cut through some explanations here."

"Probably." Liz sighed. She wasn't expecting that tinge of feeling when she realized Ray was talking to a woman. _Jealousy? I've been gone for three years. It's not like..._ she bit her lip, not wanting to keep that train of thought going.

Liz was sitting on Ray's couch. She was now wearing one of his bath robes, and had a towel in her hair; Tarantula, also wrapped in a towel and looking very displeased about the whole situation, was next to her.

Ray picked up the life-size stuffed Dopey Dog and moved it off the couch, allowing him to sit on the other side of Tarantula. "I know both of us have got like a lot of questions, so I guess we do this the fair way. You ask me a question first, I answer it as best we can, and then I ask you one. We alternate until we both feel like we know what we need to know. Deal?"

Liz nodded. "Perfect." She paused for the second, thinking of how she wanted to phrase her first question. "Are you doing all right?"

Ray nodded. "Yeah. Teaching a class on mechanical engineering; been here for almost three years. I don't know if my contract is gonna be renewed, but that's okay-I got an offer from the University of Idaho to do some pyrokinesis studies if things go south here." He coughed. "Are you all right?"

"Just a couple of bruises. I got kicked into a wall by a skeleton and then fell into the fountain, but it wasn't a long fall from my perspective, just...disorienting. Thanks for the bathrobe and the towels, by the way. Is there any way you could get me some real clothes?"

"That's what I called Mariko about." Ray replied. "Trust me, shopping for women's clothes is not something I have a lot of experience with."

Liz couldn't help but feel just a little bit pleased by that admission despite herself.

Ray blushed a little. "Why were you naked, anyway?" He was frankly afraid of the answer; there were a couple of explanations that would really depress him, but...good grief, under the circumstance, how could he not ask.

Liz smiled slightly. "I was alone, if that's what you were wondering." Ray started to stammer some apology but she raised a hand to cut him off. "I had a robe on, but lost it in the attack; I had just woken up-I've preferred sleeping in the buff since I was about a year old. My Mom and sister like to try to embarrass me with the stories of how they'd come into find me in the crib with my onesies laying on the floor. It's just a personal preference. I mean, I wear something when I have to, like when I was in school and had a roommate, and...er...you know, that one week a month where it would be a real mess, but..." She blushed as she realized how badly she'd started to babble. _I'm trying too hard to not sound like some creepy weirdo and I probably sounded even more like a creepy weirdo._

Ray coughed, nevertheless, he had to admit, finding himself reassured. _That's something awful personal for her to admit_. "It's still your turn."

Liz had a question of her own that she was afraid of the answer to, but like Ray's, it was too obvious to not ask. "Why aren't you with the Ghostbusters anymore?"

Ray sighed deeply, and seemed to shrink into the couch a little bit. "There are no Ghostbusters anymore."

Liz inhaled.

"I mean, everyone's alive, but after the Zodiac Lord event, the PKE network was so drained that ghosts just stopped manifesting. Business dried up. There was only one major incident after June, when Ivo Shandor's ghost tried to summon Gozer to New York, but the energy was too weak and we stopped him. After that...things got bad for us personally, and we shut down and ended up scattering all over the country."

"Peter's in Hollywood-he's married and has a year-old daughter, and is also raising his wife's son by a previous marriage. Winston's in Montana; he married Kaila and they have a daughter too, almost two. Winston's got his pilot's license and flying a commuter line. Egon and Janine stayed in New York, but they...aren't together."

Liz raised an eyebrow again. "They seemed so happy when I last saw them."

"They were." Ray nodded. "But she got hurt and her memories got scrambled. Egon freaked out and blamed himself for it; it's kinda what broke the camel's back and made us shut down. Egon's still at the firehouse; I think he's teaching now." Ray shook his head. "Janine married some other guy, but I can tell she's not happy with him. It was more spite than anything else, I think."

Liz shook her head. "No Ghostbusters..."

Ray chuckled ruefully. "Not to say that nobody tried to fill the gap. Back in '92 this guy who looked like a cross between Chevy Chase and Inspector Gadget tried to start up his own 'Ghostsmashers' group, but with no ghosts to bust or smash, it went under quick." Ray decided not to admit that he found one of the female Ghostsmashers, the blonde one, kind of cute. "Where have you been, Liz?"

"Dragonsfall" Liz replied. "You did get my letter, right?"

Ray nodded. She'd sent it to him after the Zodiac event. Not long before the Ghostbusters had been forced to shut down.

Liz continued. "After the Zodiac event, the Prima of Guernicus-basically, the boss of the House I belong to, and the chief Quaesitor of the entire Order-wanted me to learn what I could about the Archmage. There's a lot of debate on whether he is who he says he is; the only magi of the Order comparable in age show their age a lot more than he does. Morgond, the Magus Dominus, and Aine Dubh of Merinita both look like they're in the seventies, while Gargantuos of Tytalus I gather is confined to his chair and almost looks like he's already dead." Liz shook her head. "But you've seen Fallagar-he barely looks old enough to shave."

"Anyway, whether it was coincidence or Fallagar anticipated the investigation, he invited me to go to his covenant. Since nobody in the Order had been there since the Middle Ages, how could I refuse?"

"Dragonsfall used to be located in Germany, near what is now the border with Czechoslovakia..."

Ray interrupted. "It'd be the Czech Republic now. The country broke back into the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic last year."

Liz nodded and continued. "Specifically, it sat atop the Großer Arber, highest peak in the Bavarian Forest, which is now a radar station. But now it's in a shard realm, or to use the official Hermetic term, a regio. Whether the Archmage transferred the original covenant there, or it's an idealized recreation from his memories and the nature of the Magic Realm, he never said."

Liz sipped from the can of Coke Ray'd brought her earlier. "Lilly was originally supposed to go with me-I think I mentioned it in the letter..."

Ray nodded.

"...But she changed her mind and went with Barney to Las Vegas instead." She mused for a second or two. "Have you heard from either of them?"

Ray shook his head. "Nope. I've wondered a lot of times, and I admit if I ever did I'd have asked them if they'd heard from you. I guess I know the answer to that, don't I?"

"It's hard to place phone calls from a shard realm." Liz chuckled. "I mean, not even the Redcaps know where this place is. At least not yet."

"So then my next question is this: what happened to send you back here?" Ray asked.

Liz told him about the attack by the skeletons, and of her departure with Tarantula. She reached into the bathrobe and pulled off the chain she was wearing, to show Ray the stone with the Archmage's symbol. "The return stone is enchanted to take the bearer on a two way trip: the first trip to a place she knows, or to a person she knows. That's why I ended up here-I've never been to New York, so I chose you, since you were the Ghostbuster I..." She blushed slightly and looked away. "Well, you were the one I got along best with. I didn't know you were out here, and the Ghostbusters broken up."

"Yeah." Ray coughed. "Sorry about that."

"When I activate it again, it'll take me and anyone I'm in physical contact with back to the regio. But it needs time to recharge; the fact that the quintessence is so sluggish here now means it's going to take even longer." She shook her head. "It's going to be tomorrow morning at the earliest. I just hope it's not going to be too late."

"Yeah." Ray nodded again. "So any more questions?"

"Do you think it's at all possible to get any help from the others?"

Ray shook his head. "They're all too far away, and they don't have any of their equipment except Egon. Even Peter's hours away, and I don't know how quick he could drop everything. I do have one question now-how come only the three skeletons got into the covenant? And not the whole army of them outside?"

Liz sighed, disappointed that the help she'd been hoping for was looking to not be coming. Nevertheless, she was still glad Ray was here. "The covenant is protected by a sort of magical force field, the Aegis of the Hearth, that keeps out intruders. The lead skeleton-the one Dulk called 'Lord Stalker'-must have had some way to get into the Aegis, but either he was just an advance scout of some sort, or whatever he could do to get in he couldn't share with too many of his henchmen."

"It puts us on a bit of a timer, though." Liz continued. "The ritual that creates the Aegis only lasts a year before it has to be recast and renewed. The Archmage always renews the Aegis on the day of the Summer Solstice."

"Assuming time works the same in that pocket dimension that means about two weeks." Ray whistled. "In that amount of time maybe I could get Peter or Winston here, but they still wouldn't have their gear. And there's no telling if Egon would even..."

There was a knock at the door. "Girl Scouts! Wanna buy some Thin Mints?!" a chipper female voice said.

Ray went up and opened the door; a young Japanese woman was standing there, whom Liz took to be the "Mariko" Ray had called. "So what's up, Doc?"

"Liz, this is Mariko Fuyuno, one of my students." Ray confirmed. "Mariko, Liz Hawthorne, who's..."

Mariko blinked as she regarded the woman wearing nothing but one of Ray's bathrobes. "You hound you! Good going, Doc! An anniversary present after all!" She elbowed Ray in the ribs.

"It's not like that!" Ray sputtered, face turning red. "Liz's someone I know from my Ghostbuster days! She needs my help, and I need your help to help her!"

"Gotcha." Mariko smirked, noticing Tarantula, and started to rub the cat's chin. "Black cat and everything. So you're a witch, then?"

"I prefer the terms 'wizard' or 'maga', the feminine of 'magus', thanks." Liz answered, shaking Mariko's hand.

Mariko rubbed her chin. "Wait, I heard something about a streaker in the fountain earlier. We don't get a lot of those here at Stanford, not since the Tri Kuppa Bru chapter got thrown off campus, anyway. This have anything to do with that?"

"Yes." Liz said. "My teleportation spell was a bit hurried, and I lost everything I was wearing on the way." It was a lie, but Liz didn't really feel like explaining the truth about that particular aspect of the day's events to her.

"Yeah, so..." Ray broke in "Before anything else, I need you to come with me to get Liz some clothes. I don't have any women's clothes here."

"Well, none you're going to admit to, anyway." Mariko joked, sizing Liz up. "About 167 centimeters or so...weight..." Mariko muttered something to herself in Japanese. "Okay, Doc, turn around."

"Turn around? What..." Ray stopped and did as asked when he realized Mariko was starting to open the robe Liz was wearing.

"Um..." Liz said uncomfortably

"I gotta get get the measurements right." Mariko told her. "Good grief, look at those-I hate you! What the hell is in the water in North America?"

"Um, anyway..." Ray stammered.

"All done, Doc. You'll have to ask her to show them to you again." Mariko said brightly, re-closing the garment.

"Can we just go?" Ray said.

"I'll be fine." Liz reassured him. It was so darn cute how flustered he was by the whole thing.

* * *

Liz felt a bit guilty walking back into Ray's room, even though she'd been in it briefly shortly after arriving-she'd changed into the bathrobe in his bathroom-but he'd said she could nap if she wanted to, after all. Tarantula was already asleep on the couch.

She certainly was tempted. Worries about the Archmage and the others aside, she hadn't had a complete night's sleep and then had been thrown into battle, across dimensions, and into a fountain. A couple of spontaneous spells and, yeah, she was exhausted.

The room wasn't large or overly decorated, just...cozy. There was a picture on the wall of the four Ghostbusters and their secretary; Ray was pudgier in the picture, and Janine's haircut was different from what she wore in 1991, so Liz supposed it was probably from before that.

Sitting on the bed stand were a few more items. A picture of five people-a man, a woman, and three kids, two boys and a girl. The woman and the girl had the same auburn hair as Ray, and one of the boys she realized was a younger Ray.

_His family_ she realized, and a memory came to mind.

_Ray nodded. "You know, I have a brother and a sister I never talk to because, well, they hate me. Nieces and nephews that I probably couldn't pick out of a police line-up. I guess it's just as well I don't have a 'normal' life either...I'm too afraid I'd screw it up..."_

There was another picture of a teenage Ray with a fleshy-faced woman. There was enough of a resemblance to wonder _An aunt or grandmother maybe?_

There was another picture, this one of Ray wearing his Ghostbuster uniform...over a bunny suit. Liz almost wanted to chuckle, but there was a woman in the picture; young, attractive, with shoulder-length brown hair and a short skirt. She was kissing Ray on the cheek.

_Dammit, Liz, stop doing this to yourself. You only met him three years ago, and promptly vanished. Quit thinking you're..._

Then she noticed the envelope. Inside was the letter she'd sent him three years earlier

_Dear Ray _

_Sorry about not writing sooner-it's been rather hectic since the whole thing back in June. I really shouldn't admit this, but a Special Tribunal was convened on the matter and of course I ended up being the star witness, and just about everything that happened that day was discussed, dissected, and analyzed. In addition to the Zodiac Lords themselves, they were interested in Fallagar-not that I blame them. _

_But I think I've said too much. _

_Barney, Lilly, and I've officially parted ways with the Church-the "Inquisitors" (as your friend dubbed us) are no more. I'm sure nobody expected that, right? Barney says he's going to take his severance pay to Las Vegas and try to "strike it rich". Lilly will be staying with me. _

_Here's the bad news: I can't give you any more details right now. I wish I could. But the Order wants me to take on a new project that will mean I won't be able to make it to New York for quite a while. _

_I feel bad about that-I was hoping to find out if Central Park was as beautiful in the summertime as you say it is. _

_Liz_

She felt tears welling in her eyes. _He kept it_. She knew in her mind she shouldn't be getting this emotional...but her heart didn't care. _I just missed him so damn much..._

She put it back where she found it, hoping he wouldn't notice it had been moved. She lay on the bed, thinking how soft it was...a wisp of his scent...an illogical, but burning wish that we was here in that bed with her right that second...

She wasn't sure if she'd nodded off at all, or it was only a second later that she heard Tarantula hissing as somebody was loudly knocking on the front door.

She sponted a quick Intellego, and her eyes went wide.

She ran to the door and threw it open.

"You!"

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

Ectozone Editorial Staff: Dr. Vincent Belmont, EGB Fan, TheRazorsEdge  
Additional Beta: Kingpin, OgreBBQ  
Additional Consultation: Jay Tigran

Lady Enlightenment created by OgreBBQ and Fritz Baugh  
Dulk and Mariko Fuyuno created by OgreBBQ  
Lord Stalker developed by OgreBBQ  
Tarantula and Phineus Eventide created by James Van Hise and Howard Bender; they first appeared in Now Comics' _The Real Ghostbusters_ No. 12  
Ghostsmashers is a reference to the characters from the IDW comic series, and were created by Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening.  
Some material previously appeared in _The Zodiac Imperative_  
Reference made to material from _Ars Magica_, created by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein•Hagen; now owned by Atlas Games save a few concepts owned by White Wolf Games.

#4239-20140526m (6Gem, 24Aqu)  
126


	3. Chapter 3

**Enlightenment  
Part Three  
**

**By Fritz Baugh**

* * *

**Previously**

* * *

Once upon a time in Romania, two teams met while investigating the same vampire lord. One team was the world-famous Ghostbusters-Dr. Ray Stantz, Dr. Egon Spengler, Winston Zeddemore, and Dr. Peter Venkman. The other team was the far-less-famous (by design) "Inquisitors" -Liz Hawthorne (the wizard Lady Enlightenment), Father Diego Portenza, Barney Lupin (the werewolf Nightclaw), and Lilly Peacecraft.

Boy (Ray) met Girl (Liz) and some sparks started to fly.

A few weeks later, the Ghostbusters and the Inquisitors met again, along with the Prince of Warlocks Phineus Eventide, his familiar Tarantula, and the Archmage of the Winds, Zandrik Fallagar. Together, they defeated the Zodiac Lords, with the help of Eventide's noble sacrifice; he asked Fallagar to look after his cat.

More sparks also flew between Ray and Liz.

But after that victory Ray went back to New York with his fellow Ghostbusters, while Liz was sent on a new assignment by her bosses, the leadership of House Guernicus of the Order of Hermes.

Neither was far from the other's thoughts, but it's three years later. Both are shocked at how much has changed.

Liz finds out that the Ghostbusters have broken up; Ray is at Stanford, Venkman is a Hollywood agent, Winston is flying a commuter airline in Montana, Janine is in an unhappy marriage to a man she doesn't love, and Egon is holding a lonely vigil at the former Ghostbusters Central.

Ray finds out that Liz has spent the last three years at the shard realm inhabited by Archmage Fallagar, trying to discover his secrets. She's come back seeking the help of the Ghostbusters against the army of undead camped outside Dragonsfall covenant.

But with no Ghostbusters to call upon...will Ray and Liz alone be enough? Or do the forces of fate have other plans?

* * *

**July 25, 1979**  
**Suffolk County, England**

* * *

Elizabeth Lucille "Liz" Hawthorne, Age 18, regarded the ten-story tower before her. It stood near the small town of Orford, and among the residents of the somewhat strange old place was Liz's first cousin once removed, Tegan Fielding.

It wasn't Liz's first visit to the place; she'd dormed at Rein•Hagen during the previous six school years, and had returned to Truro during the summer months, but on shorter school vacations she'd resided here with "Aunt" Tegan.

_"The tower was built in the early Thirteenth Century."_ Tegan had explained during Liz's first visit, six years before. _"When it was built, there were actually two towers, but the west tower was destroyed during the War of the Roses. The feudal lord who ran the place was killed, and over the centuries it's basically become an apartment complex."_

Of course, with what Liz learned about her cousin two months ago-that she was Lady Persuasion of the Order of Hermes-she wondered if there was a lot more to that story.

Tegan met her outside the tower. "Did you have a good visit back home?"

"Yes." Liz nodded. "Though it was difficult keeping what's going on from Cheryl. She could tell I was excited about something." Liz shook her head and rolled her eyes. "She thinks I have some new secret boyfriend I won't tell her about, and that's 'really' why I broke up with Adric."

"I guess in a way that's true, metaphorically." Tegan chuckled. "When you become a full wizard, the decision to tell her the truth becomes yours. Until then, I feel it's more prudent to not tell anyone who doesn't already know, such as your Mother."

Liz nodded. "Oh, I'm not disputing the decision, Aunt Tegan. Just regretting having to lie to my sister."

"To paraphrase something you recently noted, a Quaesitor's first duty is to the truth. Your unease at lies speaks well of you."

The two went into the tower. After depositing Liz's belongings in Tegan's apartment, and having a small brunch, Tegan took her to a part of the tower Liz had never been to before.

"This is the ninth floor." Tegan led Liz to a door. "When the towers were first built, the only access to the west tower was from the east tower, from doors on the third floor and the ninth."

"So even though the west tower was destroyed, the doorways are still here." Liz surmised. "There are no balconies outside. What would the purpose be of keeping the doors, unless they just didn't want to bother?"

Tegan smiled approvingly. "I told you the west tower was destroyed. Well, my apprentice, that was a lie." She reached into her jacket and produced a golden key. She inserted the key into the waiting lock, and turned it-producing a loud click and a play of sparks.

Tegan opened the door. Liz gasped. Before her, a bridge in the same dark stone as the tower led to a second tower, virtually identical to the first.

"In 1459, the Hermetic covenant of Nigrasaxa staged a fake battle, making sure it was credited as a skirmish in the Wars of the Roses. During the fake battle, it appeared that the west tower was destroyed-but it wasn't. It was hidden just out of phase with the rest of the world, in what Hermetic theory calls a regio."

"Why?" Liz asked, overwhelmed.

Tegan led her across the bridge, stopping to close and lock the door to the east tower behind her. "The west tower was the residence of the magi of the covenant. It had been decided that it was time for the Order to hide itself-and supposedly destroying the wizard tower was part of that."

An old man was sitting at a desk inside the doorway of the west tower, snoring loudly.

"Eric?" Tegan asked.

The old man jumped up and cried "Gah! Dammit, Persuasion, don't sneak up on an old man like that!"

"I 'snuck up' by opening the door and entering while you were fast asleep." Tegan rolled her eyes. "Locked out of your lab again?"

"I'm not locked out!" Eric exclaimed. "I just...er...chose to sleep here. The air's better."

"It'd help if you stopped mixing those noxious potions in there." Tegan retorted. "Your familiar has a very sensitive nose."

"Well, yeah, and that's the other reason I'm out here." Eric coughed. "Damn thing's mad at me. Figured I'd better let him cool off for a little bit-a skunk in a snit fit is not a pretty thing. Only horrible smell he can stand is his own."

Liz chuckled. The thought of the strange old man being chased by a skunk like some kind of demented Pepe LePew cartoon was endearing.

"Eric-mind your manners." Tegan grasped Liz's shoulders. "This is my apprentice, Elizabeth."

"Holy Hells, Persuasion! I thought you told me she was your cousin or something, so naturally I thought she'd be some hideous hag like you!" He grabbed Liz's hand and kissed it. "Zephyranthes, Magus Solificato. It is an honor to make your acquaintance!"

"The same, Master Zephyranthes." Liz replied.

Eric snorted. "You're not my apprentice, no need to stand on formality-just call me Eric."

"Okay...Eric."

"Are any of the others in?" Tegan asked.

"Yeah. Should I let them know you're back?"

"If you will. When will the convo hall be available?"

Eric shook his head. "Not 'til Monday. There's a dentists' convention renting it this weekend."

"Then I will introduce Elizabeth to the rest at that time." Tegan nodded. "This way, Elizabeth."

* * *

The door that Aunt Tegan had opened sported a curious symbol-a square with an "X" over a circle.

The room was filled with books on one wall. Another was adorned with star charts. The third wall sported shelves were filled with what looked to Liz like the chemistry sets she used in class back at Rein•Hagen. There were also several other devices in the shelves she couldn't recognize.

A large table dominated the center of the room.

"This is my sanctum, and my laboratory, Elizabeth." Tegan explained. "Almost all members of the Order have them-it's protected by both spells and over a thousand years of tradition. By the time we're finished with your training-which usually takes three or four years-you'll know this place as well as I do, and have a fairly good idea what your own sanctum and laboratory will look like."

Liz breathed deeply. "It sounds like we should get started, Aunt Tegan."

* * *

**Excerpt From Lesson IX**

* * *

"The Order traces its root to the cults of Thoth in ancient Egypt. There's some debate on whether Thoth was truly a bird-headed incarna, or a powerful human magus, but whatever his origin and true nature, he inspired the later tales of Hermes, worshipped by the Greeks as the god of commerce and magic." "The Cult of Hermes in Greece was subsumed into the Cult of Mercury when the Greeks were conquered by the Romans; the Cult of Mercury stood strong throughout the Roman Republic's rise and transformation into the Roman Empire. It cast grand rituals designed to strengthen the Empire; according to legend, thirty eight rituals capable of literally shaking the world were codified, and then lost when the barbarian hordes overran Rome and the Western Roman Empire fell, taking the Cult of Mercury with it."

"After the fall of Rome..." Persuasion continued. "Magic entered a Dark Age, just like the rest of the world. The survivors of the Cult of Mercury scattered, and became smaller enclaves, mistrusting each other, their powers diverging and being practiced in secret."

"Among them was a descendant of the line of the Magistri Terrae, masters of earth magic, a passionate man known only to history as Guernicus. He was renowned in the Eighth Century as something of a crusader for justice, after chasing down and rendering judgment on those that had murdered his pater."

"He was invited to a great convocation of magi descended from the Cult of Mercury. They swore an oath, and thus, in the Nine Hundred and Fifth year of the Age of Pisces, or 767 in the reckoning of the Christian calendar, Guernicus and eleven others formed the Order of Hermes."

"The twelve Founders each became leader of a House devoted to their own concepts of magic. Ten of those founding Houses still exist, while in the intervening centuries two fell, but five more rose and joined the Order, which now stands at fifteen Houses."

"Our Founder was a skeptic-he thought, absent a strong authority monitoring the other wizards, the Order would dissolve into backbiting and go up in flames-possibly literally-within a generation. The political leaders of the Order basically made him put up or shut up-and thus, Guernicus became the first Quaesitor, and his House essentially became the 'internal affairs division' of the Order of Hermes." Tegan smirked. "And since it's been over twelve hundred years since then, and the Order survived two civil wars, the Inquisition, and the Sorcerer's Crusade, I'd say it worked."

* * *

**Excerpt From Lesson XLII**

* * *

"This is the day, Elizabeth." Lady Persuasion said, a note of excitement apparent in her voice. "Your arts will be opened, and you will soon truly be able to use Hermetic magic."

Liz, lying on the somewhat cold and uncomfortable table, nodded.

"The Gift is a rare trait, often-but not exclusively-passed along bloodlines. It allows you the potential to use quintessence, and thus learn to use magic. There are some lesser kinds of magic-goetia or theurgia-which can be taught even to the unGifted, but true magic-magia, the Hermetic system-can only be learned by those possessing the Gift."

Persuasion gestured, and a play of purplish light began in Liz's eyes. Not the first time it had happened, but this time, it was stronger, and her whole body began to tingle. "In essence, Hermetic magic is based on a noun/verb system." Tegan explained. "A Technique-a Latin verb-and a Form-a Latin noun."

"There are five Techniques: Creo is 'Creation'. It creates something, or brings an already existent quality closer to perfection. Opposing it is Perdo-'Destruction'. It destroys, or makes something less perfect."

"Intellego is 'Perception'. It brings you knowledge. Muto is 'Mutation'-changing something to give it a quality it does not naturally have. And last, but certainly not least, is Rego-'Control'. Controlling moves it, either toward or away from a specified location."

"The classic ten forms include Animal-animals; Corpus-the human body; and Herbam, plants. They are sometimes lumped together as 'Animae'-'Life'. There are four classic elemental forms: Auram, Air; Ignem, Fire; Aquam, Water; and Terram, Earth. Mentem is 'Mind'. Imagonem is 'Images', and illusions. And standing above them all is Vim-the Form that lets you manipulate the force of Magic itself."

"So each basic spell combines one verb and one noun: throwing a fireball is 'Creo Ignem'. Controlling a person's mind is 'Rego Mentem.' Plants wither and die with a 'Perdo Herbam' spell. You perceive the flow of magical energy with 'Intellego Vim'. And you can turn a cat into a dog with 'Muto Animal'."

Liz heard the incantation for several more minutes...

...and then...

...it was like the world shattered around her...

...the shards danced and whirled...

...fifteen of them...

...they fell back into place...

...the world reassembled...

...but it was larger. Richer. And...she could change it.

All she needed to know now was _how_

"Well, now that's an interesting development."

Liz shook the fog out of her head, and realized she was looking at Lady Persuasion from about five feet away from the table. From the cold floor. _The...um...__very__ cold floor..._

Persuasion picked up Liz's brassiere and Rein•Hagen sweater from the table. "A spontaneous spell immediately after opening is rare, but not unknown. I would suspect that Rego and Corpus will be affinities of yours..."

Aunt Tegan smirked. "You'll have to work on refining it, of course. Though I could see how it would help your sleep preparations as is..."

Liz could feel herself turning bright red as she folded her arms over herself. _Oh God why am I naked please just kill me now..._

"And that, Apprentice, was...as a notable Mundane once said...the end of the beginning."

* * *

**Palo Alto, California**  
**June 8, 1994**  
**The Eighteenth Day of Gemini in the Fourth Year of the Age of Aquarius**  
**Ghostbusters Omnibus Timeline Year Twelve**

* * *

"You really dig this gal, don't you, Doc?" Mariko asked.

Ray sighed, and bit into his pen harder. "Well...I mean, yeah. Is it that obvious?"

Mariko chuckled. "Only to someone with eyes."

They were in Ray's beat-up Mustang, a car he'd bought when he moved to California and (truth to tell) paid way too much for, as he'd been known to do when a car caught his fancy. Ray and Mariko had just finished their shopping at the local S-Mart; a couple bags of new clothing for the newly arrived wizard lay in the trunk.

"You gotta understand, Mariko, I...well, I don't really have a whole lot of romantic history." Ray admitted. "I mean, I spent most of my adult life hanging around with Peter Venkman and Egon Spengler, who are each, in their own way, babe magnets. Peter put the moves on pretty much anything with ovaries until Dana finally tamed him, and like a star Major League batter, he made sure he had enough times at bat that even though he struck out 80% of the time, he still had female companionship."

Mariko laughed. "I love that analogy-my older brother plays baseball back in Japan. I gotta remember to use that on him."

Ray continued. "And pretty much every woman that wasn't on Peter's radar, and a lot of the more...eccentric ones, well, Egon could draw those to him like bees to honey. And unlike Peter, he didn't even try-until Janine came along, all that attention more annoyed him than anything else."

Ray took the pen out of his mouth. _I gotta stop destroying these innocent pens like this_. "Me, Well...Back in the town I was raised in, Morrisville, there was a lady I fell for hard back when I was kid. Elaine Fuhrman. She was beautiful and sweet and everything I thought I wanted in a woman. But we lost track of each other for a while when I went to college."

"Then in '84, I went back to Morrisville to serve as Grand Marshall in the Winged Puma Parade."

Mariko laughed at that.

"I didn't name it." Ray shrugged. "Anyway...the Ghostbusters had become a big deal at that point, so the old home town wanted to soak up some of that attention. I caught back up with Elaine, and we kept in touch that time, even dated a time or two when I had the time, but..."

Mariko waited a few seconds after he trailed off. " 'But'?"

"But I was busy in New York. She refused to move out of Morrisville, insisting that she was a small town girl at heart. It's like she enjoyed telling all her friends she was the girlfriend of a famous Ghostbuster, but didn't want to actually be my girlfriend."

"Things came to a head when we got shut down in '86." Ray groaned. "I realized that maybe I should just stay in New York, and she said maybe that was for the best too. I mean, shit, I wasn't famous anymore, right?" Ray said, a bitter tone in his voice. "Why would she want me around now, just because I could be?"

"Ouch." Mariko shook her head.

"Well, and by then, I was dealing with another complication." Ray swallowed hard. "Nobody outside the guys knows about this one. In '86, before we shut down, the four of us went to Mardi Gras. Peter insisted, because we'd been in the area the year before but got stuck on a case and missed it. I met this beautiful woman in old-time clothes, by the name of Elizabeth Metairie. I fell for her hard."

Ray sighed. "Turns out she had been dead for over a hundred years by that point. Elizabeth had been on a ship that had sunk on Mardi Gras in 1853, and were doomed to reenact their deaths every year." Ray shook his head. "We helped them succeed in reaching shore, and resolving their fetters so they passed on peacefully, but...Elizabeth had to go with them." Ray rolled his eyes. "Of course, starting about a year later, it became a running joke with Peter like 'Uh oh, Class 3 or Class 4 that's a woman, watch out for Ray'."

Mariko was silent.

"So that was basically it until 1991, when we were in Romania and met Liz and her friends." Ray smiled slightly. "She literally walked right past Peter to talk to me, and I don't think Egon even registered on her radar. She said she'd followed some of my work, and complimented the new intro I wrote for the 1989 printing of _Tobin's Spirit Guide_. I even got to tell her a little later how I actually met J.H. Tobin, which she found fascinating."

"Yeah. My idea of a dream date." Mariko deadpanned.

"We...met up again not long after, when some really really bad stuff went down in England." Ray continued. "She told me a little about her family, especially her sister and her nephew. I mentioned my brother and sister and how they hate me. We both realized we were afraid that we'd screw up a 'normal' life."

"There could be worse things to have in common." Mariko admitted.

"And then she up and had to leave on business for the Order she's part of." Ray shook his head "And then she needed our help, but I'm all that's available."

"What are you going to be able to do for her all by yourself?"

Ray's face became harder, more determined, in a way that Mariko had never seen before. "Anything I can."

Mariko made an approving noise. "Women whose names start with the letter 'E' seem to be your kryptonite, Doc."

They pulled into the complex.

"What's that beat-up truck outside your place?"

* * *

**Inside the Apartment of Ray Stantz**

* * *

"You!" A high pitched voice squealed as Liz opened the door. "Miss Elizabeth!"

"LIZZIE?!" a much huskier voice cried.

The squeakier voice belonged to a sixteen year old girl, who was quite a bit taller and more...mature than she had been the last time Liz saw her. The burly guy beside her, on the other hand, looked much the same, including his tacky green and yellow plaid pants.

"Barney! Lilly!" Liz cried, overwhelmed by the surprise. The three shared a heartfelt group hug.

"Huh." Barney quipped. "No one expects the Inquisitors reunion!"

The three broke the embrace after a minute or so. Liz felt her eyes misting up; Lilly wasn't so restrained. "Good grief, Lilly...look how much taller you've gotten."

"I'm so happy to see you, Miss Elizabeth!" Lilly replied. "But I didn't know you'd be here!"

"We came looking for Ray." Barney explained. "So this mean you and Ray are finally shacking up?"

Liz sighed. Jumping to such a lurid conclusion was so in character for Barney. "That's an awfully personal question."

"That's an awfully evasive answer." Barney countered without missing a beat.

"I've only been here about five hours." Liz rolled her eyes.

"Well, Hell, that's more than enough time." Barney said brightly. "Maybe even enough for two or three..."

"Barney! You do remember Lilly is right there?"

"Pshoot, she's in high school now." Barney noted. "Between that and living with me for the last three years, there's nothing she hasn't heard before..."

Never mind the fact that Lilly's face was now bright red.

Tarantula was nearby, back arched.

"Oh! That's Master Eventide's cat, isn't it?" Lilly said, eager to turn the conversation to something else. She picked the black cat up, and stroked her chin. Tarantula relaxed a little-until Barney leaned in.

Tarantula hissed at him.

Barney barked back.

"Tarantula...these are my friends, remember?" Liz reminded the cat.

The cat meowed uncomfortably.

"No 'mass hysteria' here..." Liz chuckled ruefully.

"LIZ!" a tenor male voice called. "YOU ALL RIGHT?!"

"Everything's fine, Ray!" Liz called back. "We have more company!" A few seconds later, Ray and a young Japanese woman neither Barney nor Lilly recognized entered the room.

"Whu..." Ray sputtered. "Lilly?! Barney?!" Ray chuckled. "No one expects the Inquisitors reun..."

"Already did that joke" Barney interrupted. "Hello, what have we here?" He was giving Ray's companion the eye.

"Mariko Fuyuno." She introduced herself warily.

"Arsene Lupin IV" Barney said with a flourish, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"Two words: Bull. Shit." Mariko replied. "You're no more a French thief than I am the spirit guardian of Mount Fuji."

"Well, I won't know that for certain until I climb you."

"Hah! You'll need to spring for an expensive dinner and some sparkly trinkets before that even gets on the radar, Pal!"

"Not even with these pants?" Barney asked, fluffing the pockets.

"Gonna take more than those pants to get into mine." Mariko said.

Liz, Ray, Lilly, and Tarantula were all looking confused at this point.

"Okay, you're right-my real first name's Barney." Barney said, bowing to Mariko. "And I pronounce the last name 'LEW-pin' instead of 'lew-PAWN' "

"And I'm Lilly Peacecraft." Lilly said, curtseying. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Fuyuno."

"Oh, Gods..." Mariko chuckled. "You remind me so much of my little sister Yuki it isn't even funny." She gave them another look. "Wait a sec...a Ghostbuster, a wizard, a black cat...you two aren't a vampire and a werewolf are you?"

"No!" Lilly cried. "I'm not a vampire!"

"Oh, wow." Barney said, a massive grin spreading on his face. "You really are good!"

"Okay, okay..." Ray coughed, hoping he was coming somewhere close to breaking the spell. "We need to sit down and compare notes."

"But first..." Liz noted. "I really need to get some clothes on."

* * *

An hour later, Liz was dressed in a simple shirt and shorts, and Barney and Lilly had been brought up to speed on the day's events.

"So then who are these two?" Mariko asked.

"Barney, Lilly, myself, and one other man-Father Diego Portenza-were a group of, well, you might say 'ghostbusters' with a small 'G'." Liz explained. "We worked together for a couple of years until a big case back in 1991, after which Father Portenza went back to Rome and I went to the covenant of Dragonsfall, as previously mentioned."

"Lilly and I went back to Vegas, where we came from in the first place." Barney said. "I used the money the Padre gave me as severance as my seed money, and hit it big at the slot machines."

"You're...rich?" Liz asked.

Lilly nodded. "He's not kidding about that."

Liz frowned. "Then why in the world are you still driving that old junker pick-up truck?"

"What?' Barney said indignantly. "Give it up now that I finally have the money to maintain it?"

Ray chuckled a little too loudly. "About time somebody else understood. Peter always gave me grief about buying a broken down Cadillac both times we needed a car. But damn it, they're just so cool."

"Two?" Liz asked.

"Oh yeah, the original ECTO-1 in '83, then the second one in '88." Ray answered. "We called it ECTO-1A until the tag on the original expired, when we just reregistered it as ECTO-1."

"You mean you didn't get a new license plate just because you changed all the junk on the roof rack?" Barney asked facetiously.

Liz sighed, and looked at Lilly. "So...why are you here now? I doubt it's coincidence."

Lilly nodded, but looked a little uncomfortable. "It's...it's because of me, Miss Elizabeth."

"Lilly, you really don't have to keep calling me that." Liz noted.

"Ever since the...event..." Lilly swallowed. Ray, Liz, and Barney all knew she'd played an integral but unintentional part of the events that unfolded on the night of the Summer Solstice in 1991. "It wasn't long before I met you all that I started to hear all the voices, the voices of the spirits. But after the event, it all stopped. It was quiet again. Until a week ago."

Ray and Liz looked at each other.

"I could barely hear them at first, but then they got louder. And they were scared. Something was happening on the Other Side...and the voices said we should go find Doctor Stantz."

Ray was lost in intense thought for a few seconds. "Any reason they singled me out? No mention of the other Ghostbusters?"

Lilly shook her head. "No...they just said finding...er..." Lilly blushed a little. "They said 'find the man your magical ally favored...through him you will find her.' "

Ray coughed, holding his hand over his mouth to (hopefully) hide his own blush. "I'd say score one for that prophesy."

Barney made a Butt-Head laugh. "You said 'score'."

Tarantula hissed at him again. Barney barked at the cat again.

"Behave." Liz said firmly.

"So...to sum up." Barney said. "Wizzo's asleep, his spooky house is about to be overrun by skeletons, and we're it as far as backup?"

"Sounds pretty much it, yeah." Ray agreed.

"Lovin' this." Barney continued. "Two people and a cat aren't exactly the 101st Airborne, even if one is a werewolf and the other is a wizard."

"Three people and a cat." Ray corrected. "A wizard, a werewolf, and a Ghostbuster."

"Ray..." Liz said, hesitant at first. "I'm really glad you want to help, but...I'm not sure that's a good idea. Barney and I have our powers-but you don't have any of your equipment."

Ray stood up, an enigmatic smile on his face. "No, what I said earlier was that Peter and Winston didn't have any equipment." He walked over to a closet, fished a key out of his pocket, and opened the closet door after unlocking it.

Hanging in the closet was a khaki flight suit that was slightly darker on the cuffs and collar, sporting the Ghostbuster logo on the right shoulder and Ray's last name on the chest patch. A utility belt and a pair of ecto goggles hung with it. On the floor, a proton pack and two ghost traps stood ready for use.

"I built this stuff, no way in hell I was leaving New York without it." Ray explained. "Just did maintenance and a systems check on it last week-it's as ready to go as it was the day I shot the Architect with it."

"Remind me not to have you anywhere around my house when I have work done." Barney joked.

Liz grabbed Ray and hugged him. Any extra worry having him along would cause her would be more than counterbalanced by knowing that one of the guys who'd saved the Earth from several gods, demon lords, and Great Old Ones was going to be on her side. _Our odds of pulling this off just quadrupled_

* * *

**June 9, 1994**  
**Apartment of Ray Stantz**

* * *

It had been a restful, if somewhat tense night. Barney and Lilly had stayed in a motel; Ray had slept on his couch to allow Liz his room.

"The return stone is ready" Liz had announced at breakfast.

Now almost ten AM, she, Ray, and Barney were ready to leave.

Liz was dressed in a dark blue track suit, covered by a maroon jacket with boots in a matching color-they approximated the colors of Liz's usual outfit. Ray and Mariko had to improvise based on Liz's spotty suggestions, but she'd approved of what they'd arrived with-she was particularly approving of the jacket. "I may just keep that afterwards." she'd said.

Barney was in his tacky pants, some beaten-up boots, and a dirty t-shirt. He'd once explained to Liz that this particular ensemble was one he'd used a werewolf "rite"-a sort of hedge magic ritual, in Liz's estimation-to "dedicate" the clothing. They would mystically adapt to his changes in shape.

Ray was in his proton pack, with the ecto goggles circling his head and a PKE Meter (the Model 2) slung to his belt. He'd ultimately decided he didn't feel "right" wearing his flight suit, since this wasn't a Ghostbusters operation. Instead, he was in a slightly ruddier jumpsuit with a pair of green work gloves, and grey boots of a similar style to the ones he'd bought Liz.

He was still "representing" just a little-the jump suit's zipper was open to reveal his Ghostbusters t-shirt.

Lilly and Mariko stood close by; Mariko'd already agreed to help keep an eye on Lilly. Ray'd left them with a list of phone numbers to call if they didn't hear from them by the Solstice.

"Ready?" Liz asked.

"Ready." Ray replied, arming his thrower.

"Should I wolf out?" Barney asked.

"Not yet." Liz answered. "We'll need to get you a casting token first-otherwise, the Aegis of the Hearth will impede you. You'll be fine in Homid form, since it's your natural form, but anything else will trigger the anti-magic defenses."

"Great." Barney said brightly.

"Be careful!" Lilly said.

Barney and Ray nodded one more time, each taking hold of one of Liz's arms. Tarantula was on her shoulder.

Liz held up the return stone. She concentrated...seeing the covenant in her mind...

_Please let us not be too late..._

The world around the foursome dissolved into violet mist, taking them to an unknown fate.

* * *

**To Be Continued**

* * *

Ectozone Editorial Staff: Dr. Vincent Belmont, EGB Fan, TheRazorsEdge  
Additional Beta: Kingpin, OgreBBQ  
Additional Consultation: Jay Tigran

* * *

Lady Enlightenment created by OgreBBQ and Fritz Baugh  
Nightclaw, Lilly Peacecraft, and Mariko Fuyuno created by OgreBBQ  
Lady Persuasion, Zephranthes, created by Fritz Baugh  
Tarantula and Phineus Eventide created by James Van Hise and Howard Bender; they first appeared in Now Comics' _The Real Ghostbusters_ No. 12  
Elaine Fuhrman from "Look Homeward, Ray" (RGB #75003) by Mark Scott Zicree  
Elizabeth Metairie comes from "Midnight On The Lady M", an unproduced story premise by J. Micheal Stracynzki, which appeared in his book _The Complete Book of Scriptwriting_  
Reference made to material from _Ars Magica_, created by Jonathan Tweet and Mark Rein•Hagen; now owned by Atlas Games save a few concepts owned by White Wolf Games. The Covenant of Nigrasaxa relies on description from _Heirs To Merlin: The Stonehenge Tribunal_ by David Chart  
Werewolf lore liberally borrowed from _Werewolf: the Apocalypse_ by White Wolf Games, created by Mark Rein•Hagen.

* * *

#4302-20140702w (12Can,24Aqu)  
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